Are We Okay?
by PhoenixRae
Summary: UPDATED Ch05 What is really brewing between Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows? Is is love? Is it friendship? Could there be more to Catherine and Grissom's relationship than what is seen on the surface?
1. It All Began When

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except the plot idea for this fic.

**Summary:** What is really brewing between Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows? Is is love? Is it friendship? Could there be more to Catherine and Grissom's relationship than what is seen on the surface?

**Author's Notes:** This is my first **_CSI_** fic and so please be nice. I just recently got hooked on the series and...well, I can't help but feel some underlying tension between the Night Shift's supervisor and his right-hand person and closet confidant. Please read & review. I'd like to hear some feedbacks from you. I so very much love to explore the possibilities of a GC pairing. smiles

* * *

**I. It All Began When...**

Grissom had to do his usual team evaluation. He hated doing it. He hated the paperwork that came with his job, but he had no choice. He knew his team hated being evaluated as well, but they knew it was policy. He figured the quicker they got on with it, the quicker they'd be finished.

Catherine was the last person he had to evaluate in his team. He sat her down in his office, asked her a few questions. It was going great, until they she laid all her cards on the table. She admitted to accepting money from Sam Braun. That sent Grissom off the wall. He understood where she was coming from; a father helping his daughter and granddaughter out to survive. But that didn't stop him from coming down hard on her.

Grissom knew when Catherine left his office that day that some things would never be the same between them again. He thought their lives were an open book to each other. They knew each other's ups and downs; none of the other members of the team knew Grissom's quirks and mood swings better than Catherine, and vice-versa for him when it concerned his most senior team member.

At the end of that day's shift, when they finally pieced together the killer behind the double manslaughter at an ex-porn producer & porn star's house in a ritzy neighbourhood, Grissom saw Catherine heading out. He asked her where she was going. She said she had to attend to some unfinished business and he left it at that.

Instead of her leaving right away, she asked, "Are we good?"

Grissom looked at her for the longest time, his gaze holding hers for a while before replying, "We'll be fine."

* * *

Catherine didn't like this feeling. She didn't like it at all. She hated keeping things from Grissom, especially when it had something to do with work. But after the way he saw him react during her evaluation at her confession, Catherine didn't want to risk irking Grissom even more.

She loved and respected the man. Had been for years. If it hadn't been for him, she'd be nowhere right now. She owed him so much, and as far as she knew she was the only one who can speak her mind out to him candidly without fearing a reprieve from one of the most respected men in forensic science.

Catherine's pace slowed as she neared the exit. She asked Gil if they were okay, and his reply was they'd get over it. But what if they'd never get over it? What if that little white lie, if one would call it that, would always loom over their heads? No. Catherine couldn't risk that. She'd never risk over 15 years of friendship between the two of them.

She'd show him. She'd show Gil Grissom that he could trust her again. She'd be an open book to him.

With that thought in mind, the slender blond left the crime lab office with a huge smile plastered on her face.

* * *

**TBC**

**A/N:** Hope you all liked it so far. I am just testing the water here so far since it's my first **_CSI_** fic, which I already mentioned at the top A/N. I am working on the second chapter, and hopefully I'll know by then where I'm gonna take this relationship of theirs. LoL


	2. A Brand New Day

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except the plot idea for this fic. All Other Characters names, information and whatnot are products of my imagination. There's no truth behind any of these fictionalized people.

**Summary:** What is really brewing between Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows? Is is love? Is it friendship? Could there be more to Catherine and Grissom's relationship than what was seen on the surface? _pre-Mea Culpa_

**Author's Notes:** This is my first **_CSI_** fic and so please be nice. I just recently got hooked on the series and...well, I can't help but feel some underlying tension between the Night Shift's supervisor and his right-hand person and closet confidant. Please read & review. I'd like to hear some feedbacks from you. I so very much love to explore the possibilities of a GC pairing. smiles

* * *

**II. A Brand New Day**

Catherine entered the break room in high spirits. She was smiling from ear to ear and was actually humming some current song under her breath. Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle, Warrick Brown and Greg Sanders all fixed a confused look at the smiling blond. It wasn't everyday Catherine Willows entered the break room in a good mood. Well, not in a good enough mood to make her hum some top 40 tune under her breath.

"Either somebody got a big, fat pay raise _or_ somebody got laid," Greg said loud enough for Catherine to hear and earned him a chuckle from the other night shift team members.

Catherine turned around, a paper cup in one hand while in the other she was holding the coffee pot. Her eyes zeroed in on Greg, the newest CSI member and glared. That worked. Greg quickly clamed up and zipped his lips. The others followed and each cleared their throats, avoiding to meet Catherine's deadly glare.

"Now, that's more like it," she grinned and proceeded to pour herself a cup of hot coffee.

That was the scene Grissom walked in to when he met with his team. He was surprised at the lack of conversation floating about amongst his team members. Usually the break room would be abuzz with the current happenings in each team member's lives, but this evening it was different. And the room seemed to be divided into two as well. Catherine on one side happily sipping her coffee whilst humming some tune Grissom couldn't put his finger to just yet, and on the other Nick, Sara, Warrick and Greg were all sitting silently, doing their damnedest to avoid looking at the happy blond's direction.

"Okay, what's going on here?" Grissom asked, his eyes surveying each person in the room slowly.

"Nothing," the four on one side mumbled.

Grissom's eyebrow rose as he slowly looked at the blond standing by the coffee pot.

"Don't look at me, I just got here and grabbed a cup of java," Catherine raised her paper cup filled with the hot dark brown liquid. With a cheeky grin she held Grissom's gaze as she took a sip.

Grissom looked annoyed, but he knew his team very well. They were all stubborn as a mule.

"Fine," he expelled an exasperated sigh then told everyone to gather around. He preceded to hand out assignments to everyone. Warrick got to take newbie Greg with him on a hit and run incident. "Vic's in ICU, his life's hanging by a thread," Grissom informed them.

"We're on it," Warrick nodded and clapped Greg by the shoulder.

Sara got to work solo this time. An unknown corpse surfaced in a manmade lake inside a prestigious community housing some of Las Vegas' elite celebrities. "Watch out for some bureaucratic cover-ups for this one. You know how testy people from such communities are like," warned Grissom before handing the sheet of paper to him.

"Oh great," mumbled Sara, obviously not pleased with Grissom's underlying message. "I am not a good people person, Gris. Why don't you send Catherine instead of me?" she whined.

"Because you need to work on your people skills, Sara," Grissom replied matter-of-factly.

"Great, just _great_," she mumbled as she walked out of the break room glaring a hole at the poor piece of paper Grissom handed her.

"Hmm, well whatever assignment you're gonna give me, Gris, it better be better than Sara's," Nick said teasingly as he stood beside Catherine. "So, deal me in, Gris."

Catherine cocked an eyebrow and looked at the young Texan beside her. "Been playing poker lately, Nick?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. Warrick's teaching me, and I think he's not liking the odds."

"Oh?"

"Yep," Nick nodded. "Seems like the teacher's butt's being kicked by his apprentice," he winked with that mischievous grin still plastered on his handsome face.

Catherine choked out a laugh and shook her head. "Well, I think Warrick better watch out. The last time I played poker with him, I always won."

"Are you sure he didn't let you win on purpose?" he replied teasingly.

Catherine looked affronted at Nick's assumption. "Oh, I'd surely kick his butt if he pulled that one on me!" she chuckled.

Grissom watched the friendly banter between his two CSI's. He allowed himself to watch Catherine freely, without anyone watching him. He noticed a great big deal of change in her. She was perkier today compared to previous days; perkier and chattier if he said so himself. Wherever she went the other night sure changed her for...Grissom couldn't quite put his finger to it, but he liked this Catherine he was seeing right now.

"If you two are done comparing notes about poker, I'm sure you two would be interested in hearing out _our_ assignment," Grissom said over the chatter Nick and Catherine were enjoying.

Two pairs of dark eyes turned to look at their supervisor.

"Three of us on a case? Wow, why do I get a feeling this is the toughest cookie out of the assignments you just handed out, Gris?" Catherine teased and plucked the white sheet of paper in his hand before he could reply. Quickly scanning the piece of paper, she lifted her gaze from it and meet Grissom's. "You have got to be kidding me! A homicide in broad daylight at one of the busiest casinos in town?"

"Uh-hm," Grissom nodded, his lips pursed. "And the killer stayed on the scene and surrendered to authorities."

"What?" Nick frowned and snatched the paper from the blond's hands. He too quickly scanned the page and cocked an eyebrow when he read the name. "Slick Rick Sabato's the vic? He's one of the powerful Italian kingpins."

"Who's the killer?" asked Catherine.

"His wife."

Nick and Catherine's jaw dropped on the floor. Grissom understood their shock. He too was surprised. Amelia Sabato was a wealthy socialite with a very sweet disposition with the public. No prior record of mental breakdowns. No aggressive behavior nor DUI incidents. The woman had a very clean slate. Even as a teenager growing up in upstate New York she didn't have any criminal record. It was very mind-boggling that a woman like her would commit such hideous crime.

"There's no report of domestic disturbance at the Sabato house, whether it was publicized or not," Nick pointed out.

"Exactly," Grissom agreed. "Sabato operates smoothly, hence the pet name given to him. They've been happily married for close to thirty-five years and had two sons. One a law student at Harvard while the other a fireman for the local fire department. No report of extra marital affair, and the one time he dallied with someone _outside_ his marriage happened when his eldest son was still an infant and his second son was still in the womb. Amelia Sabato apparently forgave her husband for that and since then, Slick Rick smartened up," Grissom gave his two CSIs the 411 on their vic, a brief information to help them understand what could've triggered the deceased vic's wife to pull the trigger on him.

"Wow, I'm impressed with Amelia for forgiving her husband for his folly," Catherine couldn't help sounding sarcastic at the remark.

"Hey, not all guys are _that_ bad, Catherine," chided Nick. "And look, according to reports Slick Rick straightened up his act after that incident."

"Well, she just got lucky I guess," she shrugged.

"Hey, not all guys are like Eddie, okay? Your ex was a jerk and a schemer. You deserved better than that bozo," Nick tried to lift up his co-worker's mood. He knew how much Catherine hated her ex-husband with a vengeance. But now she was divorced and enjoying an Eddie-free life with her daughter.

"Are we done bringing up old excess baggage into this case?" Grissom asked, eyeing Catherine and Nick carefully. When his two cohorts nodded he proceeded to give each of them specific tasks to help figure out the mind-boggling case.

* * *

"I heard you, Nick and Grissom are working on the Sabato murder. Man, that was whacked," Warrick groaned after shutting his locker door. 

"Tell me about it," sighed Catherine as she pulled out her sweater from her locker. "So far we've hit dead-end. Amelia Sabato's fingerprints are all over the case, but no concrete motive for her crime."

"But why do you think she killed her husband?" mused Warrick.

"That, my friend, is the million dollar question." Catherine slipped on her sweater and zipped up the front. "Well, I'm calling it a night. I'm beat and Lindsey is in dire need of her mother's company."

Warrick raised an eyebrow at the last statement. Catherine blushed slightly at the small white lie she provided. They knew Lindsey was on a school camping trip for three days.

"Sounds like you got a breakfast date waiting, Cath," Warrick teased an pushed himself from his locker.

Catherine chuckled nervously and rolled her eyes at her co-worker and friend. "Nah, I just want some _alone time_, you know?"

"Alone time? Jeez Cath, when and where have I heard _that_ reason before?" he chuckled.

"Oh come _on_, Warrick. Gimme a break here!" She looped her arm around Warrick's and the two of them walked down the corridor together.

Warrick wouldn't stop teasing her about her breakfast date with a yet to be named man, and Catherine was doing her damnedest to assure him that she doesn't have a breakfast date lined-up...yet. They stopped by Grissom's open office and she spotted him studying the evidence of their case intently. Unwrapping her arm from Warrick's, she told him she'd see him later and waved him off before entering Grissom's office.

"Knock, knock," she said out loud without actually bothering to knock on his door.

Grissom lifted his head from the report he was reading and peered over the rim of his reading glasses at his second-in-command. "Hello, Catherine."

"Hey Gil. What are you doing here still? It's time to call it a night, you know?" she reminded him teasingly.

"Yeah, I know. But you know me, I need to figure out what provoked Mrs. Sabato to kill her husband in broad daylight," he sighed and took off his reading glasses. Sitting back in his chair he looked up at the blond woman and frowned, "What are you doing here still?"

"I was just on my way out," she informed him.

"Oh. Well, don't let me stop you from going home. I'm sure the others already left for home."

"Yeah, they have," she nodded and crossed the space from the doorway to the two chairs in front of Grissom's desk. Plunking her behind on one, she crossed her legs and met her supervisor's gaze. "You should go home too and rest, Gil."

"I will go home, Catherine. Eventually."

Catherine cocked an eyebrow at his reply. "I don't like that 'eventually' part you just added."

Grissom cocked an eyebrow too. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Because every time I hear the word 'eventually' used in a sentence, it almost always means _never_."

"The lab is not my home, Cath."

"Somehow I doubt that. Next to your _real_ home, you're always here."

"So? It's my outlet. It gets me out of the house," he shrugged.

"True, but not a good enough reason to use as an 'outlet' of yours. I know!" She quickly sprung up to her feet and planted her hands on Grissom's desk, "Let me treat you breakfast. We can even discuss business while we're eating, I wouldn't care. This case is much of a mind-boggler to me too as it is to you," she pointed out.

"But--"

"No buts, Gilbert. Up and at 'em, boy," Catherine commanded, straightening up and waiting for her supervisor to get up and off his romp and march out of his office. "C'mon Gil, we haven't got all morning for breakfast and I am _dying_ for some food here."

Grissom wanted to argue with Catherine about him not wanting any breakfast. He was far too intrigued to solve the case ASAP than to put some food into his system. Of course he needed some sustenance, but he could always swing by his favourite diner en route to his place once he was done here; he didn't need someone's company to have breakfast with him. And yet Catherine was here, determined to get him out of this hole he felt most comfortable in. He should argue with her, he knew that he could do, and yet something inside him made him think otherwise thus making him get up and off his butt and followed the slender blond outside his office and outside the building...

* * *

**TBC**

**A/N:** I know, I know, it's a bit long and...well, not much happening really except we got an idea on what the guys's assignments are. As usual I'd like to hear your thoughts and comments (and complaints too if you have any) about this fic/chapter. Thanks!


	3. Something Happened On the Way to Breakfa...

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except the plot idea for this fic. All Other Characters names, information and whatnot are products of my imagination. There's no truth behind any of these fictionalized people.

**Summary:** What is really brewing between Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows? Is is love? Is it friendship? Could there be more to Catherine and Grissom's relationship than what was seen on the surface?

**Author's Notes:** This is my first **_CSI_** fic and so please be nice. I just recently got hooked on the series and...well, I can't help but feel some underlying tension between the Night Shift's supervisor and his right-hand person and closet confidant. Please read & review. I'd like to hear some feedbacks from you. I so very much love to explore the possibilities of a GC pairing. smiles

* * *

**III. Something Happened On the Way to Breakfast...**

Grissom relaxed in the passenger's seat as Catherine drove to their favourite diner near the lab. She was in good spirits since last night, and Grissom couldn't help but wonder what has gotten into her.

He doesn't have anything against Catherine enjoying her life. She has lead a hard knock life up until recently and she deserved to be happy, but that one information he found out during his recent evaluation of her put a wrench on their friendship.

"Catherine, you don't really need to--"

"Just shut up and enjoy the ride, Gil. It's not everyday one of your CSIs invites you for breakfast and actually offers to pay for your meal," Catherine told him without taking her eyes off the road.

"True, but what is the purpose behind this invitation for breakfast?" he asked, taking his eyes off the road and looking beside him at the woman sporting a pair of dark glasses and swiftly maneuvering the SUV in and out of traffic.

"There's no ulterior motive behind the invitation, Gil. It's just a friendly invite. A friend concerned about her friend. That's all," she insisted and hit the left turn signal before pulling into the diner's parking lot. She killed the engine and unbuckled her seat belt. Grissom still remained in his seat, seat belt buckled and he was looking at her pointedly. Catherine cocked an eyebrow and whipped off her sunglasses. "Look, Gil, I know the Sabato case is boggling you. It's boggling Nick and myself too, but there's a time for delving into it wholeheartedly and there's a time to set it aside and try to eat something."

"And the latter part proves to be now?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I know this case won't give us much breather, so why not cease it as soon as we can instead of letting it slip by us?"

She had a point there. And at that precise moment his stomach decided to agree with Catherine for a change.

"Hmm, I think your stomach agrees with me, Gil," she grinned cheekily before jumping out of the black SUV.

* * *

Their usual diner hostess gave them the best booth in the place. They were seated by the window and was able to watch the early morning traffic pass them by while they waited for their orders to be served.

True to her words, Catherine talked business with Grissom in between sipping their coffee and taking a bite off their meal. She was famished after running around the city trying to piece together the puzzle that Amelia Sabato represented.

"If they are a happily married couple, _why_ would Mrs. Sabato decide to kill her husband? And in public for that matter," Catherine wondered aloud, her fork arrested mid-air as she thought about the possibilities. "And if they're filthy rich, why didn't she hire someone else to do the deed for her?"

"To be or not to be, that is the question," Grissom quoted _Hamlet_ as he forked his eggs, going through all possible motive for the missus to pull the trigger on her husband.

Catherine frowned at her companion and dug into her meal with vigor. After a couple of minutes of silence she spoke once again, this time addressing the topic of their conversation on a more personal matter.

"Gil, are you sure we're okay?"

Grissom's fork was arrested mid-air, his gaze slowly meeting Catherine's from across the table. He had been waiting for her to say it, to ask him exactly where their relationship stood right now. He remembered what he told her.

_We'll be fine._

Three words. Three simple words that brought neither comfort nor assurance to him when he spoke it out loud. He was sure Catherine wasn't certain either that they were or ever will be okay indeed.

"Of course we are, Catherine," he gave her his rare jolly smiles. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because," she shrugged, setting her fork down and sitting back in her seat. "I get this feeling that we're not okay, Gil. Sure we get along fine at work, but after...after what I said...I don't know if I ruined your trust in me or what."

Grissom quietly put his fork down and held Catherine's gaze. A million things suddenly sprang into his head as soon as she said what she said. He couldn't help but think now if this was her motive all along for this breakfast invitation.

"Is this why you invited me for breakfast? You want to earn back my trust after what happened?"

"No!" Catherine quickly straightened and leaned forward in her seat. Shaking her head, she placed her hands on her hands on the tabletop and held Grissom's gaze, "Don't even think that that's my ulterior motive for inviting you for breakfast. That was the farthest thing from my mind when I came into your office this morning and asked you to join me for breakfast," she insisted.

"Then why bring that up?"

Catherine took a deep breath and slowly slumped back in her seat. Flexing her shoulders a little, she drooped her head to the side, her gaze still meeting her supervisor's.

"It's been eating me alive thinking that I let you down. Trust me, it's the _worse_ feeling in the world. I know what it felt like to be let down especially after Eddie, but for _me_ to actually cause that feeling to you? God, it's ten times worse than when it happened to me!" she admitted.

"Don't let it bother you, Cath," he told her soothingly, his lips twitching to a slow smile. "Don't strive too hard to be perfect. We all can't be perfect. We each have our flaws. That's what makes us human," he philosophized.

Against her better judgment, Catherine found herself smiling back at what Grissom just said. She hated to admit it, no matter how quirky her supervisor was, whenever he said something it almost always made her feel relaxed and reassured that everything else was okay.

"Thanks, Gil," she sat up straight and reached for his hand across the table top.

Grissom was surprised at the unexpected jolt he felt when Catherine's hand covered his. He quickly darted a gaze at her hand on his before he turned his hand palm up and closed it around hers. "Anytime, Cath."

Catherine's stomach jumped when Grissom's hand closed around hers. It was an odd sensation to feel, especially after she'd been working alongside the man for years now. He must've grabbed her hand one too many times before, but this was the first time he held her hand for the sake of...well, just for the sake of holding it. And it felt good. She felt relaxed. His touch relaxed her. She'd been with other men since Eddie, but none of them made her feel what she was feeling now with Grissom...

* * *

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oooh, finally something's happening between these two! LoL Unspoken feelings are starting to surface. Well, what do you guys think? Feedbacks are most welcome. Thanks once again for reading my fic.


	4. Something's In the Air

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except the plot idea for this fic. All Other Characters names, information and whatnot are products of my imagination. There's no truth behind any of these fictionalized people.

**Summary:** What is really brewing between Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows? Is is love? Is it friendship? Could there be more to Catherine and Grissom's relationship than what was seen on the surface?

**Author's Notes:** This is my first **_CSI_** fic and so please be nice. I just recently got hooked on the series and...well, I can't help but feel some underlying tension between the Night Shift's supervisor and his right-hand person and closet confidant. Please read & review. I'd like to hear some feedbacks from you. I so very much love to explore the possibilities of a GC pairing. ::smiles::

* * *

**IV. Something's In the Air...**

Sara plopped herself down in the break room's sofa, exhausted and obviously peeved at something. Nick looked up from the sandwich he was eating and raised an eyebrow at the other CSI's obvious annoyance. He knew Sara wasn't a people person, and being handed an assignment to work on by herself was sure eating the brunette alive.

"Nobody cooperating, Sara?" inquired Nick.

Sara lifted her gaze from the file folder in her hand that she had been glaring at since gathering all evidence the last couple of shifts she had. Her face softened when she saw the Texan's smiling face and relaxed her shoulders a bit. She knew everyone in the team was aware of how passionate she could be when it came to a case, or how peeved she could get when having to practice her people skills.

"It's part of the job, Nicky boy, it's part of the job," she informed him tersely.

Nick barked out a laugh and shook his nearly shaved head. "Hey, all you gotta do is be charming and less forthright with the suspects or witnesses," he advised.

"So, what? All I have to do is flash them a cheeky, dimpled smile, chuckle a bit at some obviously lame joke, and bat my eyes at the males?"

"That wouldn't hurt, actually," he agreed with her.

"What? You're serious?" Sara's eyes nearly bugged out when Nick agreed to her sarcastic remark. "God, what did I do to deserve this kind of treatment?" She cast a pleading look up at the ceiling and waited for some sort of sign to be revealed to her.

Nick followed her gaze up then slowly backtracked it down and stared at his co-worker. "You're not being mistreated, Sara. You're just living life."

Sara's forehead creased into a frown and dropped her gaze from the ceiling to the man seated across the room from her. "Since when did you become Grissom?" she asked smugly.

Nick looked lost her comment. Him became Grissom? Since when? Since he started philosophizing almost everything that came out of his mouth?

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sara," he fibbed and finished off his sandwich.

Sara was about to say something to him when the break room door opened and Warrick entered followed by Greg. Both looked deep in conversation regarding the case they're working on.

"It's not an accidental hit and run, Warrick. It's _intentional_," Greg insisted, crossing the room to grab the coffee pot and pour him a cup.

"OK, I am with you on the intentional part, but now the big question is _ who_ would want to run over the guy intentionally?"

"_That's_ what we have to delve in to," Greg replied. "Want a cup?" he belatedly inquired after he put the coffee pot back into the heating pad.

"No, thanks," Warrick shook his head and grabbed one of the chairs from the table. Sitting astride it, he set the file folder on the table and stared at the closed folder. "Did anybody else come forward to identify our vic?" he asked his partner.

"Joseph Martin. A construction worker. Came from a well-to-do family but chose to live a 'simple life' by doing manual labour to pave his way," Greg grabbed a chair beside Nick and sat down himself. "I looked into our vic's background after I went through his personal effects. A wallet was found with his driver's license and a wad of cash."

"Nice work, Greggo," Nick grinned and patted the newbie CSI in the back.

"Yeah, I know, I'm cool," the youngest member grinned cheekily.

"But don't let it get way in over your head," mumbled Warrick, his dark gaze focused on the closed file folder on the table.

"Don't worry, I won't," chuckled Greg before he turned his attention to the Texan seated beside him. "So Nick, how's your case going? Found a concrete motive to nail Slick Rick's widow yet?"

"Ah, that case," Nick crumpled the wax paper his sandwich came in. "We're still hitting a dead-end. Mrs. Sabato's reasons are...just out there sometimes we can't even make ends of it. She was obviously traumatized by the event, and yet...why did she commit it in the first place?"

"Because she was drugged, that's why," came Catherine's voice from the break room's doorway.

Four sets of eyes turned to the woman at the doorway, all waiting anxiously for her to continue with her findings.

"I say hypnotized, Catherine," came Grissom's voice over the woman's shoulder. "Excuse me," he slid into the break room and joined the others.

"Hypnotized. Drugged. What's the difference?" Catherine pushed away from the doorway and entered the room. "The point is, _someone_ wanted to frame Amelia Sabato for the murder of her husband."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You two processed these information already without letting me know?" Nick looked disappointed that he was left out.

"Sorry, Nick," the two most senior CSIs replied absentmindedly. They were far in to the discussion of the real reason behind Amelia Sabato's involvement in her late husband's murder case to care that the rest of the team were there watching them duke it out with each other.

The other four watched in fascination as Grissom and Catherine tried to outdo one another. They were both very passionate about their work, and both had excellent work ethics, and yet they differ in so many levels it was amazing how they got along to begin with. Nick cleaned closer and whispered to Greg, "Take notes, Greggo. Those two are pros and eventually they'll come to the same conclusion."

"But they're taking two different stands on this," Greg pointed out.

"Oh, just watch and listen, Greggo. Those two will come to an impasse eventually, and before you know it, they've pieced together a very plausible reason behind Slick Rick's widow's actions," Warrick assured the doubting newbie. And he was right.

Two minutes later, Grissom and Catherine came to a conclusion.

"Amelia Sabato was drugged by whomever wanted Slick Rick dead in order to take her to a hypnotist!" exclaimed Catherine, her eyes wide from suppressed glee.

Grissom's upper lip twitched to a satisfied smirk and inclined his head in agreement. It was a logical explanation to both their theories.

"Now all we have to do is _prove_ our theories, Catherine, and we're on our way to finding our killer," Grissom answered calmly.

"Actually I got you both beat on that one," Nick raised his hand and pushed himself off his seat. "DNA results came back from Amelia Sabato's blood sample, and Flunitrazepam was found in her system," he handed Grissom a folder with his report.

"So she wasn't hypnotized at all," Catherine replied smugly and read Nick's report from over Grissom's shoulder, which she knew irritated her supervisor, but she didn't give a damn.

Grissom made a face and was about to say something smart back at Catherine when something caught his attention, and it wasn't something on the report Nick filed for him to look at. It was...her scent. Odd that he suddenly became very much aware of Catherine's scent when he had been around the woman for 20 years. Since his unexpected breakfast _date_ with her yesterday, Grissom found himself becoming more and more aware of the woman who had been by his side for all these years.

"You used a different shampoo," he commented although his eyes never left the folder.

Catherine cocked an eyebrow and glanced sideways at him, an impressed grin plastered on her face. "You noticed?"

"Of course I noticed," he replied matter-of-factly, giving her the impression that he'd always known the scent of her shampoo and conditioner.

Catherine chuckled and shook her head. She returned her gaze back on the file in his hands and started reading the rest of Nick's report. "After all these years, Gil, and you _still_ manage to surprise me," she murmured.

"I'm glad that I still have that effect on you," he murmured back, stealing a quick glance at her peering over his shoulder.

"Good. That means you still haven't lost your touch with women," she tore her gaze from the file she was supposedly reading and smiled at her superior. "A tad bit rusty, but with a little more work you're good to go and ready to be set back in the dating field," she teased.

Goodness, was she flirting with Grissom? Does this conversation of theirs right now considered flirtation? She'd flirted with guys before, usually men she was investigating, and she sure as heck knew when she was flirting and when she wasn't. An uneasy, butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling often hinted her that she was attracted to the guy or that she was indeed flirting with him, but with Grissom...she'd been around the man for 20 years and she had to admit, she had an easy camaraderie with him, but never to the point of flirtation like what was happening right now.

"Well, that remains to be seem," Grissom grinned back and closed the file folder in his hands. His gaze remained locked with Catherine's for a few seconds too long before he addressed the rest of the team gathered in the break room. His eyes roamed around the room and settled on Greg first. Putting on his working hat he quizzed the newbie CSI on the case he was handling with Warrick and gave the two his two-cents on how they should approach it. "Make a list of past, present and recently ex-girlfriends of the victim. Find if there's any motive for them to stage a supposedly accident," he advised.

"Okay, we'll be looking through Joseph Martin's little black book and see what we'll find," Warrick assured him.

"Good," Grissom nodded then turned his attention to the sofa where Sara sat. "And what's the status on your assignment?"

Sara rolled her eyes skyward and let out an annoyed sigh. "You were right about those damn bureaucratic crap they've been throwing about. I couldn't get a single lead out of any of them," she complained.

"Just be charming, Sara, you'll eventually get someone to help you out," winked Catherine.

Sara's jaw nearly dropped on the floor at Catherine's advise. She cast a dumfounded look at Nick who looked mighty smug at the moment. Her couldn't help but feel self-righteous at the moment for being right about his advise.

"Fine, then I guess I'll have to take a few lessons in charm and etiquette," she grumbled sourly.

"Don't worry, Sara, you'll be fine," cheered Greg.

"Easy for you to say," she muttered.

"Hey, you're people skills' been improving, Sara. You just need to harness it a bit more," Warrick advised.

"My lack of finesse and people skills is my downfall in this job." She rolled her eyes skyward once again and pushed herself off the sofa, "Well, I have a meeting with the coroner to find out exactly what the cause of death was to my John Doe."

"John Doe?" echoed Grissom, "You still haven't ID'd the vic?"

"It was kinda hard to ID pruned fingers. But we ran through his dental records in the system and hopefully I hit jackpot."

"Good luck," Nick, Warrick and Greg said in unison.

"Well, now that we're all up to date, Nick?" Catherine turned to look at the handsome Texan, "Care to join Grissom and myself? We're going to hunt ourselves a killer behind the drugging of Amelia Sabato."

"OK, I'll be right out," he nodded.

"We'll be in car," Grissom answered as he held the door open for Catherine.

As soon as the two senior CSIs were out of the room he turned to look at the other three members left in the break room.

"Was it just me or was Catherine and Grissom _flirting?_"

"_Phew_, and I thought I was the only one who noticed that," Warrick let out a low whistle and shook his head.

"I know those two got along great, and I've seen them together _lots_ of times, but what I just saw earlier between them...man, that's the first time I felt goosebumps on my arms!" Sara rubbed her arms to prove her point.

"So...do you think Grissom and Catherine are...together?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to the youngest team member, each of their eyebrows raised and made Greg feel like a complete heel for even suggesting that. But he couldn't help but state the obvious, whether what he thought was obvious was indeed obvious or not.

* * *

**TBC**

**A/N:** Well, here's the 4th chapter. What do you guys think?

**Thank You's:** **_jtweet, Stephanie, D.M.A.S.,_** & **_ mrs.grissom_** -- your comments/reviews are all appreciated. Thanks & enjoy this chapter.


	5. Why Can't We Just

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except the plot idea for this fic. All Other Characters names, information and whatnot are products of my imagination. There's no truth behind any of these fictionalized people.

**Summary:** What is really brewing between Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows? Is it love? Is it friendship? Could there be more to Catherine and Grissom's relationship than what was seen on the surface?

**Author's Notes:** This is my first **_CSI_** fic and so please be nice. I just recently got hooked on the series and...well, I can't help but feel some underlying tension between the Night Shift's supervisor and his right-hand person and closet confidant. Please read & review. I'd like to hear some feedbacks from you. I so very much love to explore the possibilities of a GC pairing. :smiles:

* * *

**V. Why Can't We Just...**

"This is pointless," complained a very annoyed, and obviously stressed-out, Nick after they went through every valuable piece of evidence they collected. "We know that Amelia Sabato _did not_ kill her husband on purpose, but whomever wanted Slick Rick dead sure knew what he--or _she_--was doing."

"Aw Nick, don't tell me you're giving up already," Catherine cooed as she examined the deceased's personal effects and some other documents that might help them solve this case quickly.

Nick put down the small flashlight he was using and looked at the blond woman seated across the examination table from him. They had been on the Sabato case for close to a week now, and like the day they took on the assignment, they had very little to go by. Catherine and Grissom's theories were proven correct. Catherine was right about the drugging (the substance found in the widow's blood proved she was indeed drugged) and after they got a shrink to perform a hypnotic test on the widow, they learned she was abducted from her bedroom the night before the murder. Amelia Sabato couldn't recall the feature of her abductor. All she could remember was drinking her usual glass of milk before bed then felt woozy afterwards. A few seconds later a form materialized before her; her abductor's voice was muffled (he or she must've been wearing a mask to avoid being identified when his or her voice was heard) and when she came through she was already at the casino surrounded by shocked patrons and security personnel, her dead husband lying in a pool of blood before her and the murder weapon in her possession.

"It just doesn't make any sense, Cath. Amelia Sabato confessed to being drugged and not remembering much after she was abducted. We know for a fact that she had been hypnotized once or twice before, hence why the easy hypnotic penetration to her subconscious when Dr. Mandell performed hypnosis on her. What I don't get is, if Slick Rick hasn't strayed since that last folly of his, who else would want the Italian kingpin dead? I mean, does someone want to take over his turf hence the murder and blackmail the dead man's widow?"

"Good point, Nicky," agreed Grissom leaning against the doorway.

Nick and Catherine jumped at the sound of their supervisor's voice. Both whipped their heads at his direction and waited.

"What have you got?" Catherine inquired when she noticed him holding a manila folder.

Grissom pushed away from the door and crossed the distance to stand by the table between the opposite ends Catherine and Nick were at. He opened the envelope and handed each of his two CSI's a copy of a document that Catherine hasn't come across yet in her pile. Grissom gave the two ample time to finish reading the photocopied document and waited for either one of them to say something.

It was Catherine who broke the silence first.

"Slick Rick wanted to expand his business."

"Yep," nodded Grissom.

"He made a deal with another kingpin to _share_ one property and become business partners," observed Nick as he read further down the document.

"Right again," nodded Grissom once more at Nick's observation.

"So...are we looking at foul play?" threaded Catherine carefully as she handed the photocopied document back to her superior.

Grissom opened his mouth and was about to say something, but Nick beat him to it.

"I don't think so. This document's ironclad. And Slick Rick's future business partner, Tony the Brawn, is a legit businessman. Might be a bit dodgy sometimes, but he never operates on the other side of the law." Nick returned the document back to Grissom and added, his eyes meeting Catherine's, "At least, not that the law enforcement knew about," he gave her a you-know-what-I-mean wink.

"And yet you knew about this how?" Grissom pressed.

Nick turned his attention to his supervisor and gave him a dimpled grin. "Unnamed sources," he spread his arms wide and shrugged. "Let's just say that I know some people who knows the Brawn."

"Nick..." there was a warming lacing Grissom's tone. He wasn't in the mood for games.

"What?"

"You're withholding evidence," Catherine answered.

Nick's forehead creased to a frown. "No, I'm not. Look, I know how the Brawn operates simply because he came from Texas. Or his family anyway. He was the second-generation 'the Brawn' that was labeled in his family after his father. Their wealth had something to do with black gold."

"Oil," Grissom murmured.

"Exactly. But Tony, he doesn't want to supervise the rigs. He ran into a few scrapes when he was younger. My parents handled his case so I knew about it. After he served his two years sentence at a juvvie center he upped and left Texas for the lure of Sin City. He owns a couple of night clubs, strip clubs and a casino. Whenever someone double crosses him...well, he'll do _something_ about the person, but it won't be traced back to him," he explained.

"Maybe Slick Rick double crossed him," Catherine theorized.

"No," Nick shook his head. "Slick Rick might operate like the Brawn, but he was an honest businessman. I ran a background check on him as well to make sure that he didn't have any illegal dealings on the side that might help give us a lead to his actual killer, but everything checked out. Slick Rick and Tony the Brawn's deal was legit. They were to open a high-ended strip club catering to the rich and famous only."

"High-class prostitution," Catherine blew a whistle under her breath. "I'm sure a lot of horny men in Vegas and across the country would want to get in on that."

"No doubt," agreed Nick.

* * *

"Here's what doesn't add up in my opinion," Nick straightened up in his seat from the diner booth he was occupying with Grissom and Catherine and wiped mustard off his lips. "One, if Slick Rick and Tony the Brawn's deal is legit, who's against it? Two, Amelia Sabato doesn't care much about her husband's business. As long as her ship don't sink, she's cool with it. And three, Slick Rick's sons made sure to get the message across that neither one of them wanted to inherit running the family business. So who else is left?" Nick ticked off his points with his fingers and looked helplessly at the two senior CSIs for help.

Catherine wiped ketchup from her lips and put the napkin down beside her plate. Resting her elbows on the edge of the table, she laced her fingers together and met Nick's inquisitive gaze across from her. "Good points, Nicky," agreed Catherine.

"Thank you," the young Texan gave the blond a dimpled smile.

"Just because the sons doesn't give a damn about the family business doesn't necessarily mean they don't want Slick Rick's money." Grissom finally put his input into the conversation, his eyes never straying far from the food he was eating.

Both CSIs turned to their supervisor, eyebrows raised and waited for him to elaborate.

"So what are you saying? Either one of his two sons wanted to inherit _all_ of daddy's loot but doesn't want anything to do with the business?" questioned Nick.

Grissom lifted his gaze from his face and met the young Texan's questioning gaze. "Ricardo Sabato alone cost north of 10 million dollars. With him gone, his will states that the running of his businesses will be left to his CEOs, but Amelia Sabato takes control over the stocks and the usual flow of business until she appoints someone else to take over from her if their sons still doesn't show interest in running the family businesses," he explained. Pausing he watched his two cohorts' attentive gaze focused on him; they were absorbing what he just explained. "If Amelia's sent to prison or passed on -- whichever comes first for her, she will lose the ownership of each of the Sabato holdings. The CEOs will still be in charge of running the business, but the ownership will then be divided between Rick Junior the fireman and James the soon-to-be lawyer."

"So the two sons _still_ benefits from it," Catherine deduced.

"Yes," nodded Grissom.

"But they both don't want anything to do with it," Nick said a matter-of-factly.

"Just because they don't want anything to do with it doesn't mean they aren't after what their late father's billions of assets has to offer," Grissom pointed out.

"So we place the two sons on top of the suspects' list," Catherine answered, blowing out a deep breath. "Boy, this makes me very thankful I am not rolling in dough."

Grissom cocked an eyebrow and turned to his most senior CSI. "Life of the rich and famous aren't as laid back and fun as life of any other middle-class citizens of this country, Catherine," he answered matter-of-factly.

* * *

**TBC**

**Author's Notes:** Sorry it took me so long to update this. I actually hit a snag and couldn't piece together what should happen next. I'll be _slowly_ working on this one. I still love the show and I am trying my best to get inspired to write more. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out where to take this story in the next chapter.


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